


Manacled

by xxonceuponatimexx



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Developing Relationship, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Movie: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:20:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29852448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxonceuponatimexx/pseuds/xxonceuponatimexx
Summary: Mara Daraay always felt like her life was weighed down by chains, pulling her down and keeping her on Jakku, for which she calls home. As a loner, she uses her brains for logic and reason, strategizing her every move in order to survive on the desert planet.But when she is captured and under the rule of Supreme Leader Snoke, leading him to assign her as Commander Kylo Ren’s advisor, the two find themselves wrapped up in each other’s ropes of problems within the First Order and against the Resistance, tying them down together in the worst ways possible.The question is: Can they both break each other free from the shackles that have been holding them back for so long?[the force awakens - the rise of skywalker]CONTENT WARNING: This story contains a toxic relationship, sexual themes, and violence.**I only own Mara Daraay. Everything else belongs to LucasFilms and the Walt Disney Company.**
Relationships: Ben Solo | Kylo Ren/Original Female Character(s), Ben Solo/Original Female Character(s), Kylo Ren/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	Manacled

**ACT I**

**CHAPTER ONE**

It’s always the same routine for Mara Daraay.

She wakes up, stretching her arms and legs, sitting up in her cot, and planning out the day in her head. Food is the first thing that she needs, to give her energy before she heads off. It doesn’t take long for her to fill her stomach with the leftovers from the day before. Next, it’s packing for a long day while she’s scavenging, for she knows that she’ll be roaming around for many hours. Finally, she's leaving to venture out on her home planet. Again.

Living on Jakku all her life, Mara knows the ins and outs of the planet down to the grains of sand. In her mind, she has mapped out every path she has taken. Despite this, she realizes over the years that there’s always something new to discover, and every single day is always unexpected.

Mara has learned to survive the unexpected, especially after the death of her parents.

After breakfast, Mara heads out just as the sun rises. She feels the warmth of the sun hit her as she begins her journey. It’s empty all around her, no sign of life awake just yet. She’s okay with that, knowing that her scavenging won’t be interfered with by anyone else. It saves her a lot of trouble, especially due to her lack of combat abilities, to which she only knows so much to defend herself physically. Mentally, she can outwit just about anyone, getting her out of many situations that could’ve ended in a bad outcome. Fortunately, her logic and reasoning are to thank for avoiding any confrontations that never got ugly.

Her pack quickens as she continues onward. It doesn’t take long for her to finally spot something in the distance. She smiles to herself as she begins to jog towards whatever she’s seeing. The anticipation just about kills her, her mind building up suspense to what she can sell it for. Usually, Unkar Plutt likes to cheat her out of what it’s worth, but Mara manages to compromise to her liking. Most of the time, she wins.

Once she gets closer to her findings, Mara looks around to see if anyone else is near. Fortunately, she is alone, which is always a good sign when looking for parts to sell. It means there’s no one to take what portion of ration packs she can receive from Unkar Plutt, the Crolute that runs Niima Outpost, and also the one she basically depends on the most if she wants to keep going on the planet.

She takes a good look at the metal scraps buried in the sand, picking up one by one from the pile. She examines every piece, her hands running up and down, sand getting on her fingers and under her nails. Mara knows that what she sees is somewhat valuable to Unkar, yet she knows that he is notorious for trying to cheat the scavengers out of the ration packs. He doesn’t make it easy for her, that’s for sure.

“Maybe this’ll be my lucky day,” she tells herself.

So she stuffs the scraps in her bag and decides to make her way to Niima Outpost, where she polishes what she has collected before heading behind the people lining up to sell whatever they have to Unkar. Even in the morning, there are people already lined up at the junkyard. It’s a long wait at times, but Mara is patient about it for the most part. Other scavengers are piling in behind Mara as she continues to stand in line, where it’s close to being her turn. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots people eyeing her. While she has grown used to it, she still can’t help but be suspicious of those around her. With how hungry and desperate people are on Jakku, there’s no telling what people will do to survive. She learns overtime that there are too many greedy scavengers on her home planet.

_But just imagine how many more there are beyond the galaxy._

When it’s finally her turn, she takes her findings and places them in front of Unkar, where he eyes her for slamming down the parts so loudly. He takes each scrap and studies it, checking for every little detail, which makes Mara’s impatience grow with each breath she takes. She already knows what to expect from him.

He places the last metal scrap down and grunts. “These scraps you’ve brought to me are worth...one portion.”

Mara’s eyes go wide. “One portion _total_? You’re kidding, right? These are worth more than one portion and you know that.”

“ _One portion_ ,” he repeats firmly, sounding more annoyed.

Mara crosses her arms over her chest, not backing down. “A half portion for each scrap.”

Unkar glares at the girl. “These are not worth a half portion each.”

“They were two days ago,” she points out.

“If you’re about to try and get more ration packs out of me--”

“A compromise is a better term,” she cuts him off. “We can negotiate.”

“Or you can take the one portion and be on your way,” Unkar snaps.

“Which is what she’s going to do,” another voice steps in.

Mara turns around and furrows her eyebrows in annoyance when she sees Lor San Tekka approaching her. “One portion isn’t enough,” she protests.

“It is for now,” he says calmly, keeping his eye on her as he takes the portion and hands it to her. “Come, let’s go.” He turns his head, facing Unkar. “Sorry for the trouble.” With that, he takes Mara’s hand and leads her away from the line.

She angrily places the portion in her pocket, groaning. “I could’ve gotten more if you had just let me negotiate with Unkar.”

“You can’t continue compromising in order to get what you want,” San Tekka informs her.

“It’s not what I _want_ , it’s what I _need_.” She pauses, sighing. “You know how it is on this planet. We do what we can to survive.”

“Yes, but you can only talk your way out of things but so many times,” he tells her. “I know you, Mara Daraay, and believe me, you’re just like your mother when it comes to trying to handle her own.” He leads her to a speeder, where he motions her to hop on.

Mara’s reluctant, but she gets on, anyway, followed by him sitting in front of her. As he starts the speeder, she exhales loudly, catching a firm grip once they take off.

San Tekka takes her to the settlement of Tuanul, a place where Mara doesn’t travel to as much, seeing as nothing useful for her to sell is in the area. It’s quiet for now, with only a few people strolling around. He leads her inside his hut, where she sits down in a small chair next to his cot.

“So, is there any reason why you brought me all the way out here?” she questions, breaking the silence.

“To get you out of trouble,” he simply replies.

“How convenient you were there as I was selling my findings from this morning,” she says. “I also wasn’t in trouble in the first place.”

He chuckles. “Like I said before, you’re so much like your mother.”

“Oh, yeah? What about my father?”

“Yes, you have some of him in you as well,” he answers. “It’s such a shame they fell ill and passed so soon.”

Mara nods her head sadly. “It is.” She remembers taking care of them until they died, hardly ever leaving their sides. The days after that were long, but she was used to it after a while. Routine became her new best friend, always relying on it every single day, even if things go in the direction that she doesn’t expect.

“Have you ever thought about leaving Jakku?” San Tekka speaks up, handing her a cup as he sits down across from her.

Mara switches her cup around, looking down at the water. “A few times, but that’s easier said than done, San Tekka. No one really leaves Jakku, anyway, do they?”

“The ones that are tired of this planet do,” he clarifies. “Tell me, Mara, are you tired of Jakku?”

She sighs, taking a sip of her water. “Well, yeah, I am,” she confesses. “But the memories of me and my parents are here and they always will be.”

San Tekka eyes her, nodding. “I understand, but do you think your parents would want you to stay here and miss out on the galaxy?” He pauses. “You’re keeping yourself chained to Jakku, along with the memories of your parents weighing you down as well.”

“So what, you want me to somehow _break_ those chains free?” she asks.

“In a way yes,” he responds. “Here’s my advice: If you get the opportunity to leave this planet, then you take it.” He huffs a sigh. “There’s an entire galaxy that’s more than you can ever imagine, Mara, and I believe you have the strength to break your chains free and see what it’s like out there.”

Mara remains still as she lets his words sink in. She wonders if he’s right about her leaving Jakku and seeing the rest of the galaxy. Only time will tell if the opportunity presents itself to her, even if it’s under the most unfortunate circumstances.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> So I decided to cross-publish my mature fics on here from Wattpad! I have one original character, which is Mara, and she is portrayed by Alicia Vikander.
> 
> If you want to read the author's note, here is the link to the story:
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/996312926-manacled-kylo-ren-author%27s-note-%2B-cast-%2B
> 
> CONTENT WARNINGS/DISCLAIMER: This story will contain a toxic relationship**, sexual themes, and violence.
> 
> **The relationship between Kylo and my OC is NOT one that anyone should love or sugarcoat. Kylo Ren is manipulative and no one should condone the actions that he's done. I want to portray him as accurately as possible for this story and his feelings towards my OC and his relationship with her.
> 
> The story will be split into three acts, each one set during each film in the sequel trilogy.
> 
> This story is also available on Wattpad under the username xonceuponatimex.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Manacled!
> 
> -A


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